Sanitary bag holder

ABSTRACT

A one-piece molded plastic tubular member open at both ends in triangular section and having a substantial diameter compared to the length thereof, a handle integral therewith said handle being shorter than the length of the member and being attached at one end only thereof at an apex of the member, in combination with a disposable plastic or paper bag, with means holding the bag mouth thereof open at one open edge of the member, the bag depending down through the member and beyond the other open edge thereof.

United States Patent Forance et a1.

[54] SANITARY BAG HOLDER [72] Inventors: Ronald B. Forance, 7 Kathleen Rd.,' Hudson, Mass. 01749; William F. Madden, 745 Pleasant St., Marlboro, Mass. 01752; Clair H. Gaucher, 168 S. Central Ave., Ramsey, NJ. 07446 [22] Filed: June 8, 1970 [21] App1.No.:.44,376

[52] US. Cl. ..229/55, 220/85 H, 224/45 P,

229/1.5 H, 218/99, 294/27 H [51] Int. Cl. ..A47j 47/00, B65d 33/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..215/100A, 11 C, 11 R;

150/52 R, 52 E; 229/].5 H, 52 A, 52 AL, 55; 220/85 H, 94, 63, 65; 224/45 T, 45 Q, 45 D, 45 H, 45 C, 49, 55, 26 G; 294/312, 27 H, 27 R, 26 S;

[ 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,161,311 12/1964 Boston ..2l5/11 R 452,381 5/1891 Meisselbach et a1 ..294/31.2

[ 1 July 25,1972

2,509,133 5/1950 Carew ..220/ 2,991,031 7 /196l Sederquist 248/99 3,204,855 9/1965 Boynton et a1 ..2l5/11 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,397,264 3/1965 France ..220/ H 234,488 6/1909 Germany ...294/31.2 1,253,324 1/1961 France ..229/l.5 H

Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leelair Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Attorney-Charles R. Fay

57 ABSTRACT A one-piece molded plastic tubular member open at both ends in triangular section and having a substantial diameter compared to the length thereof, a handle integral therewith said handle being shorter than the length of the member and being attached at one end only thereof at an apex of themember, in combination with a disposable plastic or paper bag, with means holding the bag mouth thereof open at one open edge of the member, the bag depending down through the member and beyond the other open edge thereof.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATHEDJMB 1912 Juli 7W5 naZaB. foramca,

SANITARY BAG HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There have been sanitary disposal bags and frames therefor proposed in the past but these are usually of wire which are easily bent and do not properly hold the open mouth of the disposable bag in a satisfactory condition, particularly for instance under conditions of use in ambulances where such devices are apt to receive rough treatment.

There are other objections to the devices of the prior art, among them the fact that wire holders are not easily handled by an attendant to hold up to the face of a sick person in such a manner as to avoid splatter and consequential necessity for cleaning e.g., the ambulance.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a clean, sanitary, easily handled, hung up, and washed sanitary bag holder and disposable bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tubelike member open at both ends and preferably having a triangular section from end to end thereof with a free-ended handle located at the exterior of one of the apeces of the formation so that a broad portion or base of. the triangular formation can be presented to the face of a sick person. Also the triangular formation is in general in conformance with the shape of the face with the broad edge thereof in the best position for receiving vomit. The entire member may be molded in one piece and in one practical form is preferably about 6 inches on a side and about 7 inches long. A plastic or paper bag which has its open mouth folded over a top edge thereof depends all the way through at the interior thereof, is very firmly held and is not easily knocked aside as for instance under rough conditions of use. The entire device is rugged, easily handled, and the bag itself is easily applied and removed for disposal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the invention with bag attached, parts being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1, with the bag removed;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation showing a modification; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view ofFIG. 4.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION A generally triangularly shaped hollow tubular open-ended member is indicated in the drawings as having three side walls l0, l2 and 14 and three rounded corners 16 between. The side walls taper down from a top edge 18 to the bottom edge 20 and this member is preferably about six inches across and about seven inches deep. At one of the apeces it is formed with a handle generally indicated at 22. This handle is attached in the area 24 adjacent to the upper open edge 18 and it extends downwardly having a free end at 26 spaced from its adjacent corner 16 for easy grasping thereof and for hanging up on any convenient bracket or support. The free end 26 may be substantially on a level with the lower open end 20 of the member. When stacked, the handles will coincide with different corners of other members, so as not to interfere.

At the top edge 18 there is an outstanding ledge or jog, as at 28, forming a shoulder 30. This shoulder may be continuous, and is used to hold a drawstring, cord, or rubber band, as at 32, holding the open mouth 34 of a bag 36 in position for user The bag can be triangular also to fit better if desired. A case in point is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 where the tapering walls are indicated at 10, 12, and 14 and the rounded corners at 16'. There is no ledge in this form of the invention but an upwardly opening slot 40 is formed in each corner or apex. A bag 42 folded over at its mouth and having three short heat seals 44 adjacent the fold 46 can be set into the member with the seals coinciding with the slots. The bag being made to fit the interior of the member is thereby firmly set in position, with its open mouth folded over the top edge 18'. The heat seals 44 preferably do not extend to the extreme edge 48 of the bag but are substantially coextensive with the lengths of slots 40.

Any equivalent means may be used to firmly hold the open mouth of the bag. If the bag is made especially to the shape of and to fit the frame, it can be folded over the upper edge without any particular holding means although any kind of band or clamp could be used in order to better hold it in place. However the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 are very positive and will hold the bag in position for as long as desired. The bag is easily slipped off after use whereupon the bag mouth is gathered up and probably tied for disposal of the entire bag contents.

The device can be hung up on a bracket or hook; the members are stackable; they are easily cleaned; and in the use of the device it is particularly handy for an attendant to use for a sick patient without muss or splatter.

We claim:

1. The combination of a disposable bag and a generally upright frame for holding and supporting the same in condition for use wherein the bag is relatively deep and the frame comprises a tubular member open at both ends and having a substantial length, a handle at one side of said tubular member, an exterior shoulder on the frame adjacent the upper end of said tubular member, the mouth of the bag being folded out over said shoulder, the bag extending down into the interior of the tubular member and being protected laterally thereby, a portion of the bottom of the bag extending downwardly and outwardly of the frame at the lower end thereof, and means underlying the shoulder and overlying the folded over portion of the mouth of the bag, said means being flexible and tying the bag to the frame, the handle being located below the shoulder.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is generally triangular in outline.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is substantially triangular in outline and the handle is located at one of the apeces thereof opposite one of the three walls of the triangular frame.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is substantially triangular in outline and the handle is located at one of the apeces thereof opposite one of the walls of the member, said handle being free ended at one end thereof and attached at its other end adjacent the shoulder. 

1. The combination of a disposable bag and a generally upright frame for holding and supporting the same in condition for use wherein the bag is relatively deep and the frame comprises a tubular member open at both ends and having a substantial length, a handle at one side of said tubular member, an exterior shoulder on the frame adjacent the upper end of said tubular member, the mouth of the bag being folded out over said shoulder, the bag extending down into the interior of the tubular member and being protected laterally thereby, a portion of the bottom of the bag extending downwardly and outwardly of the frame at the lower end thereof, and means underlying the shoulder and overlying the folded over portion of the mouth of the bag, said means being flexible and tying the bag to the frame, the handle being located below the shoulder.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is generally triangular in outline.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is substantially triangular in outline and the handle is located at one of the apeces thereof opposite one of the three walls of the triangular frame.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tubular member is substantially triangular in outline and the handle is located at one of the apeces thereof opposite one of the walls of the member, said handle being free ended at one end thereof and attached at its other end adjacent the shoulder. 